For my first cultural post, I want to talk about the bell of King Seongdeok (성덕대왕신종). This bell is the largest bronze bell in Korea, and it was commissioned by King Gyeongdeok, to honor his father, King Seongdeok, the 36 king of the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla. The bell was cast in 771 AD, after King Gyeongdeok’s reign had ended. The bell weighs about 18.9 tons and is over 3.7 meters tall, with a diameter of 2.7 meters.
The bell has a very acoustic precision: when struck, the bell releases a deep, resonant sound that lingers in the air, said to be audible from far away without being harsh or metallic. The bell’s tone was believed to connect the earthly realm with the spiritual, serving both as a call to prayer and a symbol of unity for the people of Silla.
The bell includes elaborate designs, such as lotus flowers (a common Buddhist symbol), flying deities, and cloud patterns. These motifs reflect not just aesthetic tastes but the kingdom’s Buddhist values at the time. A particularly intriguing feature is its “sound tube”, which is a hollow cylinder at the top that helps produce its distinct reverberation, demonstrating the advanced metallurgy and acoustic science achieved by Silla artisans.
Seeing images of the Bell of King Seongdeok, I find it fascinating that such a massive bell was crafted over 1,200 years ago. As someone learning Korean, it stands out that the bell is a recurring subject in literature, textbooks, and media (I see it a lot in videos where people would do temple-stays. This suggests its importance isn’t just historical but also symbolic, representing endurance, identity, and spiritual harmony for Koreans.
In reading about the bell’s deep, long-lasting sound, I interpret it as a metaphor for the endurance of cultural memory. Just as the bell’s vibration lasts long after it’s struck, the legacy of Silla continues to ripple through Korean society today. The bell also tells the story of intergenerational respect, King Gyeongdeok’s devotion to his father mirrors the strong family values that remain extremely central in Korean culture (like the idea of 효, which means filial piety), and also other places that are deeply influenced by ideas of confucianism.
The bell is housed at the National Museum of Gyeongju, which was the Silla capital. It is known as 에밀레종, a nickname linked to a legend claiming the bell’s unique ring sounds like a child calling for its mother, “Emille!” (엄마, meaning mom) This legend, while probably a myth, adds another layer to the bell’s emotional resonance, touching on universal feelings of longing and connection between mother and children.
I also find it interesting to compare the Bell of King Seongdeok to artifacts I’ve encountered from other cultures, like Japanese bells from Shinto and Buddhist temples, Chinese bells from the Bronze age and the Qing dynasty, or European church bells. While functionally similar, the Korean bell’s focus on family, sacrifice, and spiritual resonance reveal distinctive cultural priorities, especially in how art, ritual, and daily life are integrated.
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